RUSSELL, Ky. — Workers will continue today to clean a portion of U.S. 23 that was closed over the weekend because of a rock slide.

Allen Blair, spokesman for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said all four lanes of the roadway that were closed Sunday were reopened Monday evening. The road was closed Sunday when a large boulder fell from the top of the hillside above the highway down onto the pavement, bringing mud with it. Blair said the freezing and thawing common in winter, coupled with heavy rains the past couple of weeks, may have been the culprit. The hillside had been altered in what is known as “stepping back” several years ago in an effort to prevent the hillside slip. Stepping back involves cutting the hillside in increasingly smaller layers from bottom to top with large laps to accommodate rock slides and prevent rocks from falling onto the roadway.

“We didn’t expect a slip where this one occurred,” Blair said.

Monday excavators broke up boulders and scaled loose debris from the hillside. Cleanup work will continue today as crews haul away debris.

While the actually slip affected only “a couple hundred feet of roadway,” Blair said, traffic was detoured via Ky. 207 to Flatwoods and then to Diederich Boulevard back to U.S. 23. During work hours today, approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., southbound U.S. 23 will be reduced to one lane. Blair said motorists should drive carefully and watch for construction equipment in the area.